Method of freezing ice cream



J. G. PECK.

METHOD 0F FREEZING ICE CREAM.

APPLICATION F|LEDJUNE20.1921.

LAFL Paend Mal'. 7, 1922,

ff I 2% 3,1 S {jy [y fr NVENTOR 3 rf Peck y@ ffskw@ UNITED STATES JACOB G. PECK, 0F PORTLAND, OREGON.

METHOD OF FREEZING ICE CREAM.

Specification of Letters Patent.-

ratented Mar. a, 1922.

Original application filed October 16, 1920, Serial No. 417,415. Divided and this application iiledJune T0 all cli/wm it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB G. PECK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Portland, in the county of Multnomah and State of Oregon, have invented a new and Improved Method of Freezing Ice Cream, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates toa certain new and useful methodl of freezing ice cream mix. According to the present almost universal practice of manufacturing ice cream on a commercial scale, the mix is put into freezers of generally not over ten gallons capacity; the freezer is cylindrical in form, surrounded by a jacket which is insulated and the refrigerated brine is circulated trough the jacket around the cylinder which brings the temperature of the cylinder below the freezing point. Inside of the cylinder is a dasher which throws the mix against the inside cold cylinder walls causing the mix to freeze on the walls, and knives attached to the dasher scrape the frozen cream from the cylinder walls and for a period of about fifteen minutes all of the ice cream mix is frozen to a temperature of about twenty-seven degrees when it is drawn off into receptacles and placed in a refrigerating room of about zero temperature to be frozen hard.

It is necessary in freezing ice cream to increase the volume of the mix by freezing and whipping to make it edible, otherwise it would be soggy and unpalatable. By the system of freezing now generally in use, it is difficult to maintain an even over-run which is necessary to make a smooth product, because the ice 4cream is not frozen uniformly but frozen mixisscraped from the walls of the cylinder and mixed with unfrozen mix until `it is all considered frozen but this takes some time and considerable dashing and whipping. In freezing and whipping mix under the methods at present in use, the mix naturally absorbs a certain amountvof air, which air is not purified but is germ and dust ladened air that is contained in the room where the workmen are employed.

My present invention has for an object to provide a method of freezing the ice cream which will avoid the objectionable features of present practice and to that end the invention resides in injecting refrigerated pure Serial No. 479,043.

air directly into the mix (either with or without the aid of other refrigerated processes now used) and at the same time drawing oi air from the interior of the cylinder to be further refrigerated and puried and returned to the mix, if desired, or a continuous stream of fresh air may be forced into the mix and the air may be exhausted from the mix and discharged to atmosphere.

The present application is a division of my application led October 16, 1920, Serial No. 117,1115, which application was originally filed to cover this process and the novel apparatus used in carrying it out but has been now confined to the apparatus alone.

In carrying out my invention, I prefer to employ the novel apparatus disclosed in my l original application aforesaid, such apparatus consisting generally of a cylinder with a detachablehead through which the `mix is introduced into and discharged from the cylinder, a set of dashers being provided for rotation within the cylinder in opposite directions, the dashers being driven from a suitable motor through a suitable gear chain, which also drives the airpump or pumps for forcing air through a refrigerating and purifying chamber into the cylinder and mix and for withdrawing air from the cylinder afterhit has performed -its function. l

This apparatus is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a central vertical longitudinal section of the same.

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail View of one of the air controlling valves.

Figure 3 is a cross section of the same on the line 3 3 of Figure 2.

In the drawing in 'which like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all of the figures. 1 is the base on which may be mounted the refrigerating and purifying chamber 2 which contains the brine circulating coils 3 and theair circulating partitions 4 and 5, together with the purifying filter 6, 7 being a collection space for the purified air.

8 is the air pump which draws pure air is driven by a silent chain 11 from a countershaft 12 that is in turn driven through a silent chain drive 13 by the motor 14, the chain drives 11 and 13 being encased at 15 and 16 and run in oil baths 18-and17 respectively.

19 is a pinion on the shaft 12 which meshes with an external gear 20 that is keyed to a stub shaft 21 which has a separable joint 23 with the dasher shaft 24v on which the central dasher is placed. the dasher including radial blades 25 and. circumferential blades 26, the latter cooperating with the corresponding blades 35 of the outer dasher 33.

27 is an internal gear which meshes with the pinion 19 and is carried on a disk 28 whose hub 29 has a bearing at 30 in the hub of the gear 20 and which turns on the stub shaft 21, the stub shaft being itself journaled in a lbearing 23X on the support.

31 is a stuffing box on the boss 38 of the cylinder 39 through which the sleeve 29 passes, the sleeve 29 being journaled in the boss 38 and having a. separable connection 32 with the dasher 33. The dasher 33 has a front hub 36 which forms a bearing for the shaft 24 of the central dasher and which has its bearing in the bearing 37 of the head 40 of the cylinder. T hecylinder is provided with a lange'and the cylinder and head are secured together detachably in any desired manner.

44 is a frusto-conical neck which delivers, through an opening in the head 40, the mix to the cylinder. The throat 44 receives the spout 49 of a funnel 47 which is provided with a handle 48 and a port 50 which registers with the discharge end 52 of the mix receiver 51 so that by turning the funnel 47 through the medium of the handle 48, the port 50 will register With or close the outlet of the spout 52.

45 is an opening closed by a cover 46 which may be used through which coloring matter or flavoring extracts may be admitted into the mix or samples of the mix may be taken out. The funnel 47 may also be used for the introduction of Havoring extracts or part of the ingredients of the mix in the cylinder.

53 is a strainer in the mix receiver 51, the latter being covered at 54 and the mix being introducedrthrough the duct 55 from the mixing machine (not shown).

56 is the outlet from the cylinder which is provided in the cylinder head and is controlled by avgatg valve 57 that is operated by the lever 58 through the link vconnection 59.

60 is an air suction pump 'delivering to atmosphere and coupled with the duct 61, the pump 60 being adapted to create a suction'in the cylinder 39 by means ofbranches as apeep hole, if desired, or

` and purified air from the chamber 7 to the chamber 67 of the valve mechanism 68, from which it is passed through the discharge duct 64 and duct 70 into the interior of a hollow cylindrical valve 7 2 which has provision at 73 for the insertion of a square instrument by which the valve may be turned for regulating purposes.

The valve has V-shaped openings 741registering with the entrances 7 5 of the air injecting pipes or nozzles 76, .the latter being connected by separable connections 77 with the ducts 78 that lead into the interior of the cylinder. Y

79 is a wall which acts as adam for the lubricant in which the gears 20 and 27 run.

If desired, the cylinder 39 may be provided with a heat insulating jacket or it may be provided with a. jacket through which brine may be circulated to assist in cooling or chilling the mix.

In practice, the mix is introduced into the receiver 51 and allowed to oW down into the cylinder 39, where it is encountered by the dashers and rapidly agitated to cause the same to be aerated and to swell. At the same time, the pump 8 forces air through the duct 9 and through the cooling and purifying unit 2 and branches 66, etc. to the valve 72, by which it is distributed to the various laterals 76 which deliver the air through the duct 78 into the interior of the cylinder, where it is forced through the mix. At the same time, a partial vacuum is produced at t-he top of the same by the suction created in the duct 61, either by the pump G0 or when the return circulation is employed, then by the pump 8.

It will thus be seen that the pure cool air 110 in passing through the mix, not only refrigerates it but removes the impurities as we `While I have illustrated a' preferred ernbodiment of the apparatus which can be 115 used to perform my process, I desire it understood that I do not limit the use of my process to such apparatus.

1What I claim is:

1. A process of freezing ice cream, which 120 consists in placing the mix in a cylinder or container, forming a partial vacuum at the top of the container by withdrawing the air from the same and forcing refrigerated air into the same at the bottom of the mix. l125 2. The method Yof freezing ice cream, which consists in placing the ice cream in a container, agitating the contents of the container, and simultaneously forcing refrigerated air into thebottom of the con- 130 incarna tainer and suckingair out of the top' of the container. V

3.v The method of reezingand purifying ice cream mix which consists in enclosing the mix in a substantially closed container and causing a continuous circulation of air in a closed circuit through the mix and simultaneously refrigerating and purifying the circulating air.

4. The process of freezing ice cream mix Which consists in enclosing the mix in a container, creating a partial vacuum at one part of the container and introducing refrigerated air into the container at another place While agitating the mix.

5. The method of refrigerating fluid mass which consists in placing the mass in a, container, forming a partial vacuum at one place in the container and forcing or admitting refrigerated air into the container at another place.

6. The method of refrigerating the Huid ingredients used in the manufacture of ice cream, which consists in placing the same in a container of larger volume than the initial volume of the Huid ingredient used, removing air from one place in the container and introducing refrigerated air at another place thereby refrigerating the mass and causing it to swell.

7. The method of refrigerating the'luid ingredients used in the manufacture of ice cream, which consists in placing the same in a container, creating a partial Vacuum at one part of the container and introducing refrigerated air into the container at another place While agitating the contents of the container. 

